Arsenic Poisoning In Bangladesh Research Articles

Arsenic Poisoning in Bangladesh, Impact on Health and Ecology and Mitigation Strategies

Arsenic Poisoning in Bangladesh, Impact on Health and Ecology and Mitigation Strategies - written by Muhammad Tariq Bashir , Raid Naif Alrowais , Muhammad Daniyal published on 2021/02/02 download full article with reference data and citations

Identifying the Costs of a Public Health Success: Arsenic Well Water Contamination and Productivity in Bangladesh

Abstract We exploit recent molecular genetics evidence on the genetic basis of arsenic excretion and unique information on family links among respondents living in different environments from a large panel survey to uncover the hidden costs of arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh. We provide for the first time estimates of the effects of the ingestion and retention of inorganic arsenic on direct measures of cognitive and physical capabilities as well as on the schooling attainment, occupational structure, entrepreneurship, and incomes of the rural Bangladesh population. We also provide new estimates of the effects of the consumption of foods grown and cooked in arsenic-contaminated water on individual arsenic concentrations. The estimates are based on arsenic biomarkers obtained from a sample of members of rural households in Bangladesh who are participants in a long-term panel survey following respondents and their coresident household members over a period of 26 years.

Food as medicine: Selenium enriched lentils offer relief against chronic arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh

Chronic arsenic (As) exposure is a major environmental threat to human health affecting >100 million people worldwide. Low blood selenium (Se) increases the risk of As-induced health problems. Our aim was to reduce As toxicity through a naturally Se-rich lentil diet. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-control trial in Bangladesh, 405 participants chronically exposed to As were enrolled. The intervention arm (Se-group) consumed Se-rich lentils (55 μg Se/day); the control arm received lentils of similar nutrient profile except with low Se (1.5 μg Se/day). Anthropometric measurements, blood, urine and stool samples, were taken at baseline, 3 and 6 months; hair at baseline and 6 months after intervention. Morbidity data were collected fortnightly. Measurements included total As in all biological samples, As metabolites in urine, and total Se in blood and urine. Intervention with Se-rich lentils resulted in higher urinary As excretion (p = 0.001); increased body mass index (p ≤ 0.01), and lower incidence of asthma (p = 0.05) and allergy (p = 0.02) compared to the control group. The Se-group demonstrated increased excretion of urinary As metabolite, dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) at 6 months compared to control group (p = 0.008). Consuming Se-rich lentils can increase As excretion and improve the health indicators in the presence of continued As exposure.

ARSENIC-SAFE AQUIFERS IN COASTAL BANGLADESH: AN INVESTIGATION WITH ORDINARY KRIGING ESTIMATION

Abstract. Spatial point pattern is one of the most suitable methods for analysing groundwater arsenic concentrations. Groundwater arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh has been one of the biggest environmental health disasters in recent times. About 85 million people are exposed to arsenic more than 50 μg/L in drinking water. The paper seeks to identify the existing suitable aquifers for arsenic-safe drinking water along with “spatial arsenic discontinuity” using GIS-based spatial geostatistical analysis in a small study site (12.69 km2) in the coastal belt of southwest Bangladesh (Dhopakhali union of Bagerhat district). The relevant spatial data were collected with Geographical Positioning Systems (GPS), arsenic data with field testing kits, tubewell attributes with observation and questionnaire survey. Geostatistics with kriging methods can design water quality monitoring in different aquifers with hydrochemical evaluation by spatial mapping. The paper presents the interpolation of the regional estimates of arsenic data for spatial discontinuity mapping with Ordinary Kriging (OK) method that overcomes the areal bias problem for administrative boundary. This paper also demonstrates the suitability of isopleth maps that is easier to read than choropleth maps. The OK method investigated that around 80 percent of the study site are contaminated following the Bangladesh Drinking Water Standards (BDWS) of 50 μg/L. The study identified a very few scattered “pockets” of arsenic-safe zone at the shallow aquifer.

Intakes of Several Nutrients Are Associated with Incidence of Arsenic-Related Keratotic Skin Lesions in Bangladesh ,

Risk of skin lesions due to chronic arsenic exposure can be further affected by nutrient intake. We prospectively evaluated the association of nutrient intake and gender with incident skin lesions using data from the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study (HEALS) in Araihazar, Bangladesh. Discrete time hazard models were used to estimate these effects in stratified analyses based on skin lesion severity. Overall, we observed significant associations between low intakes of various nutrients (retinol, calcium, fiber, folate, iron, riboflavin, thiamin, and vitamins A, C, and E) and skin lesion incidence, particularly for keratotic skin lesions. Associations for vitamins C and E showed significant linear trends. Gender-specific analyses revealed an inverse association between the lowest quartile of nutrient intake and keratotic skin lesion incidence for retinol equivalents, calcium, folate, iron, and fiber among women. Interactions by gender were observed for retinol equivalents (P-interaction = 0.03), calcium (P-interaction = 0.04), vitamin A (P-interaction = 0.03), and riboflavin (P-interaction = 0.04) with the incidence of keratotic skin lesions. Understanding differential susceptibility to skin lesion incidence based on nutrient intake will help researchers develop targeted interventions to prevent health consequences of arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh and beyond.

Arsenic Poisoning in Bangladesh

Exposure to arsenic through groundwater has been a major public health problem in the USA, Taiwan, Mexico, Mongolia, Argentina, India, Chile, and Bangladesh.1 More than 100 million people worldwide have been estimated to be chronically exposed to arsenic from drinking water containing high arsenic levels. The situation is devastating in Bangladesh that can easily be reflected via the number of affected people. Among the countries’ 7-11 million hand pumped tube-wells, approximately half have been estimated to supply groundwater with an arsenic concentration more than 50 microgram/L, which is the maximum level of arsenic allowed in drinking water.2 People in Bangladesh become terror-stricken when they come to know that underground water in parts of the country is strained by deadly arsenic. The permissible level of arsenic in water is 50 ppb (Parts per billion) according to experts. But according to the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, the level of arsenic is between 150 and 200 ppb in tube-well water in the districts boarding West Bengal. It is estimated that nearly 80 million people of the country are affected by arsenic and one in ten has the probability of developing cancer from the poisoning.3 In Bangladesh, arsenic contamination in groundwater was first detected in the year 1993. According to the data provided by UNICEF in 2008, there are approximately 8.6 million tube-wells in Bangladesh. Of these, 4.75 million tube wells (55%) have been tested for arsenic among which 3.3 million (39%) were marked green indicating that the ground water is safe; while 1.4 million (16%) were marked red indicating that they are unsafe to use as sources of drinking water due to the high arsenic level, (Fig. 1). Recent findings show that about 20 million people in Bangladesh are using tube-wells contaminated with arsenic over the permissible level (>50 ppb).4 Figure 1 Safety profile of the tube-wells supplying groundwater to the community. Chronic arsenic exposure is associated with many human health conditions, including skin lesions and cancers of the liver, lung, bladder and skin. It is also associated with many non-cancer health conditions, such as adverse reproductive outcomes, neurological disorders and impaired cognitive development in children. Cardiovascular effects in human drinking arsenic-contaminated water include black foot disease, atherosclerosis, cerebrovascular diseases and ischemic heart disease. Moreover, maternal arsenic exposure via drinking water is associated with fetal loss, small size at birth, infant morbidity and mortality. The overall situation indicates that Bangladesh is in the highest risk of an epidemic of arsenic poisoning and arsenic related diseases. Arsenic affected people suffer from enormous social stigma here as people consider it as a contagious disease or a curse. It is a matter of great pleasure that nowadays the awareness about arsenic poisoning has improved significantly. Many international organizations such as WHO, UNICEF and national NGOs are working on this issue. We can hope in the near future that Bangladesh will be successful to overcome the terrorism of arsenic if awareness programs can be continued.

Soils and geomedicine

Geomedicine is the science dealing with the influence of natural factors on the geographical distribution of problems in human and veterinary medicine. Discussions on potential harmful impacts on human and animal health related to soil chemistry are frequently focused on soil pollution. However, problems related to natural excess or deficiency of chemical substances may be even more important in a global perspective. Particularly problems related to trace element deficiencies in soils have been frequently reported in agricultural crops as well as in livestock. Deficiencies in plants are often observed for boron, copper, manganese, molybdenum, and zinc. In animals deficiency problems related to cobalt, copper, iodine, manganese, and selenium are well known. Toxicity problems in animals exposed to excess intake have also been reported, e.g., for copper, fluorine, and selenium. Humans are similar to mammals in their relations to trace elements and thus likely to develop corresponding problems as observed in domestic animals if their supply of food is local and dependent on soils providing trace element imbalances in food crops. In large parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, people depend on locally grown food, and geomedical problems are common in these parts of the world. Well-known examples are Keshan disease in China associated with selenium deficiency, large-scale arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh and adjacent parts of India, and iodine deficiency disorders in many countries. Not all essential elements are derived only from the soil minerals. Some trace elements such as boron, iodine, and selenium are supplied in significant amounts to soils by atmospheric transport from the marine environment, and deficiency problems associated with these elements are therefore generally less common in coastal areas than farther inland. For example, iodine deficiency disorders in humans are most common in areas situated far from the ocean. There is still a great need for further research on geomedical problems.

Arsenic risk mapping in Bangladesh: a simulation technique of cokriging estimation from regional count data

Risk analysis with spatial interpolation methods from a regional database on to a continuous surface is of contemporary interest. Groundwater arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh and its impact on human health has been one of the “biggest environmental health disasters” in current years. It is ironic that so many tubewells have been installed in recent times for pathogen-free drinking water but the water pumped is often contaminated with toxic levels of arsenic. This paper seeks to analyse the spatial pattern of arsenic risk by mapping composite “problem regions” in southwest Bangladesh. It also examines the cokriging interpolation method in analysing the suitability of isopleth maps for different risk areas. GIS-based data processing and spatial analysis were used for this research, along with state-of-the-art decision-making techniques. Apart from the GIS-based buffering and overlay mapping operations, a cokriging interpolation method was adopted because of its exact interpolation capacity. The paper presents an interpolation of regional estimates of arsenic data for spatial risk mapping that overcomes the areal bias problem for administrative boundaries. Moreover, the functionality of the cokriging method demonstrates the suitability of isopleth maps that are easy to read.

Chemical Form of Selenium in Naturally Selenium-Rich Lentils (Lens culinaris L.) from Saskatchewan

Lentils (Lens culinaris L.) are a source of many essential dietary components and trace elements for human health. In this study we show that lentils grown in the Canadian prairies are additionally enriched in selenium, an essential micronutrient needed for general well-being, including a healthy immune system and protection against cancer. Selenium K near-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) has been used to examine the selenium biochemistry of two lentil cultivars grown in various locations in Saskatchewan, Canada. We observe significant variations in total selenium concentration with geographic location and cultivar; however, almost all the selenium (86-95%) in these field-grown lentils is present as organic selenium modeled as selenomethionine with a small component (5-14%) as selenate. As the toxicities of certain forms of arsenic and selenium are antagonistic, selenium-rich lentils may have a pivotal role to play in alleviating the chronic arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh.

Toxic torts: arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh and the legal geographies of responsibility

Tubewells have been so popular in rural Bangladesh that about 12 million have been installed, yielding water that is convenient, free and low in bacteria. But every fourth well is polluted with arsenic, with the result that millions of people are exposed to a severe environmental hazard. We explore this crisis from the viewpoint of legal geographies. The case of Sutradhar v NERC is taken as an exemplar of a debate about ‘proximity’ between scientific consultants and aid donors on the one hand, and their clients in poor countries on the other. In short, the article is about the desirability of bringing responsibility into line with supposed generosity.

Social implications of arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh

Besides its toxicity, groundwater arsenic contamination creates widespread social problems for its victims and their families in Bangladesh. There is, for instance, a tendency to ostracise arsenic-affected people, arsenicosis being thought of as a contagious disease. Within the community, arsenic-affected people are barred from social activities and often face rejection, even by their immediate family members. Women with visible arsenicosis symptoms are unable to get married and some affected housewives are divorced by their husbands. Children with symptoms are not sent to school in an effort to hide the problem. This paper employs mainly qualitative methods to interpret people's understandings about the toxic impact of groundwater arsenic poisoning on their social lives. Arsenic-affected patients in southwest Bangladesh were asked to determine their ‘own priorities’ in measuring arsenic toxicity on their social activities and to explore their perceptions about their own survival strategies. We found that patients’ experiences reveal severe negative social impacts, and a sharp difference of perceptions about arsenic and social issues between arsenicosis patients and unaffected people.

Arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh: spatial mitigation planning with GIS and public participation

A PPGIS (Public Participatory Geographical Information System) has recently been developed in combination with PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal) and GIS (Geographical Information Systems) methodologies to utilise GIS in the context of the needs of communities that are involved with, and affected by development programmes. The impact of arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh is ‘tragic and painful’ on patients’ health and their social life what was described as the ‘worse mass poisoning in human history’ in a WHO report. Deep tubewell is said to be a source of arsenic-free safe drinking water and people are mainly interested in deep tubewell water rather than rainwater harvesting, dug-wells, and pond-sand-filters (PSF) approved by the BAMWSP (Bangladesh Arsenic Mitigation Water Supply Project).This paper mainly explores the application and suitability of GIS with local community participation in deep tubewell planning for arsenic mitigation. The relevant data for this study were collected from the field survey. The PRA methods were used to obtain social and resource information; while a GIS was used to organise, analyse, and display the information. Participants from three different focus-groups were asked to determine their ‘own priorities’ for spatial planning of deep tubewell for arsenic-free water. The study results valuable community perspectives on deep tubewell planning and reveals the suitability of PPGIS in spatial planning for arsenic mitigation with local community mapping overlay. The process of dialogue and preparation of mental mapping within each focus-group participants lead to enhance information about community needs of deep tubewell in the study area.

Factors Involved in the Development of Chronic Arsenic Poisoning in Bangladesh

Factors Involved in the Development of Chronic Arsenic Poisoning in Bangladesh

The Spatial Pattern of Risk from Arsenic Poisoning: A Bangladesh Case Study

Arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh has been one of the biggest environmental health and social disasters of recent times. About seventy million people in Bangladesh are exposed to toxic levels of arsenic (0.05 mg/L) in drinking water. It is ironic that so many tubewells have been installed in recent times to provide drinking water that is safe from water-borne diseases but that the water pumped is contaminated with toxic levels of arsenic. Along with the clinical manifestations, some social problems have also emerged due to arsenic toxicity. Analysing the spatial risk pattern of arsenic in groundwater is the main objective of this paper. Establishing the extent of arsenic exposure to the people will facilitate an understanding of the health effects and estimating the population risk over the area. This paper seeks to explore the spatial pattern of arsenic concentrations in groundwater for analyzing and mapping ‘problem regions’ or ‘risk zones’ for composite arsenic hazard information by using GIS-based data processing and spatial analysis along with state-of-the-art decision-making techniques. Quantitative data along with spatial information were employed and analyzed for this paper.

Speciation of Arsenic Metabolite Intermediates in Human Urine by Ion-Exchange Chromatography and Flow Injection Hydride Generation Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

Biomethylation is considered as the principal metabolic and detoxification pathway for inorganic arsenic in human. The end products of methylation are less toxic and more readily excreted through urine. Therefore, speciation of metabolites in urine is essential to a better understanding of arsenic metabolism, health effects and detoxification ability of individuals exposed to arsenic through drinking water, food and environmental materials. Speciation of inorganic and methylated arsenic in urine is an analytical challenge and often requires expensive instrumentation. We have applied a relatively inexpensive technique for the separation and analysis of various arsenic species, such as, arsenite, arsenate, monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) in human urine. The technique is based on ion exchange chromatographic separation followed by flow injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectroscopy (FI-HG-AAS). The detection limit varies from 1.0 to 2.0 µg/L for various species. The technique has been successfully applied to speciation of arsenic metabolite intermediates in urine samples collected from patients in Hajiganj, a serious arsenic affected area in Bangladesh. Arsenite (AsIII) was found to be the major component in the urine from these patients. Our findings from patients in Hajiganj, Bangladesh are presented in this paper. The technique permits us to carry out arsenic speciation in urine, essential for toxicological studies and possible nutritional intervention in combating arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh.

Arsenic in groundwater and health problems in Bangladesh

Arsenic is listed as a hazardous material and is a suspect carcinogen, reportedly responsible for lung and skin cancers. It is also a teratogen, which means that it is capable of crossing the placental membrane into the metabolic system of unborn children. The level of arsenic allowed in drinking water has been set at 0.01 mg/l by the World Health Organization (WHO). However, the maximum permissible limit of arsenic in drinking water of Bangladesh is 0.05 mg/l. The actual toxicity of arsenic to the human body varies depending on several factors as general health and diet. It is a cumulative substance, which slowly passes out of the body through urine, hair, fingernails/toenails and skin. In Bangladesh, most of the recognized stages of arsenic poisoning have been identified. The risk of arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh is increasing. The number of patients seriously affected by arsenic in drinking water has now risen to 7000 demanding extensive research in this field. This note addresses tubewell contamination in groundwater and health-related impacts. A previous study made by the author presents the subsurface occurrence of arsenic and the reason of contamination. The latest statistics available on the arsenic contamination in groundwater indicate that 52 districts around 80% of the total area of Bangladesh and estimate that around 40 million people are at risk. Patients with melanosis, leuco-melanosis, keratosis, hyperkeratosis, dorsum, non-petting oedema, gangrene and skin cancer have been identified. Among the affected people, the most common presentations are melanosis (93.5%), keratosis (68.3%), hyperkeratosis (37.6%) and dipigmentation (leuco-melanosis) (39.1%). Cancers were found among 0.8% and actinic keratitis and Bowen's disease are identified among 3.1% cases. According to available data the Dhaka Community Hospital (DCH) identified 1903 patients with arsenical skin manifestations, the National Institute for Preventive and Social Medicine (NIPSOM) listed 800 arsenicosis patients and the Institute for Post-Graduate Medical Research (IPGMR) investigated 250 arsenical skin lessions patients.

Arsenic controversy needs conclusion

Although there are several events of arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh and West Bangel, it has never existed in Nepal as a public health problem. Arguments on the basis of location of Terai belt in the same regional geo-chemical condition are non-logical and under controversy. The bad news is that the experts discussed with contradictory figures and non-convincing analysis. Serious scientific discussions are required to find out the status and threat of arsenic poisoning in Nepal.
 
 Himalayan Journal of Sciences 1(1): 10, 2003
 
 The full text is of this article is available at the Himalayan Journal of Sciences website